


Rest of Her Days

by teecup_angel



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, I'm not even sure if this is angst?, Kinda, Not Beta Read, POV Outsider, Post-Time Skip, Rhea has issues but she's dealing with it...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 04:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teecup_angel/pseuds/teecup_angel
Summary: It was Flayn who informed her that the king has fallen gravely ill.And now, here she was, watching the queen fall apart as another loved one is slowly taken from her(Rhea POV, Dimileth, post-Blue Lion route)





	Rest of Her Days

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at like… 2:30 AM because I can’t sleep and this plot-bunny is stuck in my head. I’ve returned to writing again because Fire Emblem Three Houses is an awesome game and Blue Lion (especially Dimitri) has taken my heart and has not let go.
> 
> I’ve only finished BL route and currently in the middle of my Church route. My childhood friends have finished BE route and GD route (yeah, we divided our 1st playthrough between the three of us) so I know bits and pieces from both routes thanks to them.

News of the king falling ill reached her quite late. No one dares set foot in Zanado anymore. Anyone who knew she was spending the rest of her _ long _life here were also the ones with painful memories of this place. That was why she knew that the news Flayn has brought to her was of grave importance.

King Dimitri of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus _ King of the Holy Kingdom of Fodlan _ had fallen ill. The last act of the heretic <strike> _ tragic _ </strike> emperor had <strike> _ unintentionally _ </strike>bore fruit. A single stab, not even deep, thought to have been insignificant at that time due to the thick armor he had worn, had unknowingly festered slowly and now it slowly kills the poor king.

No magic or medicine could cure such a slow moving poison, destroying him from the inside out. 

Some say it was punishment for the crimes he had committed. 

A final defiant act of the dead crimson emperor...

Others, especially those who had been the emperor’s classmates before the war, were adamant that it wasn’t like her to do such a despicable act.

But what do they know when they didn’t even have an idea that their house leader had planned to wage a war against the Church of Seiros and the rest of Fodlan?

She didn’t care. Not truly. She had stopped caring about Fodlan since she stepped down as the archbishop. It was better for everyone if she disappeared, let the future be ushered by the king and his professor. 

She didn’t care about the king or the people who are already mourning as if their king is already dead. 

She did, however, care about the queen.

Flayn had been helpful in telling her what has transpired during her self-imposed banishment. Byleth has stepped down as archbishop once the separation of state and church was absolute. A new archbishop had been chosen, someone who grew up listening to Byleth and not to her. Now, Byleth was known as the queen of the holy kingdom and loved by her people. 

Why wouldn’t she be? Everyone knew her as one of their king’s top generals during the war and she spent her entire life dedicated to healing the wounds brought by the war, reforming the church as her husband reforms the kingdom and nurturing the new age of Fodlan. They knew her as the one blessed by the goddess. Some even call her the reincarnation of the goddess herself. 

Oh, if only… 

Now, the queen_ professorwifebeloved _ sits by the bed of her king _ studenthusbandbeloved _ in vigil. 

And she was being escorted to Fhirdiad. 

Why? 

The guards Flayn took with her does not know why. Flayn does not say anything about it. 

But she knows. 

She knows why Flayn is taking her to see the dying king. 

She knows and she holds her silence yet she knows that Flayn can hear what she is not saying. 

_ This is the goddess’ will. Who are we to stop the wheels of fate from turning? _

Fhirdiad is different from what she remembers but, then again, the last time she was in the Kingdom capital, it had been more than a decade ago. 

“He’s not dead.” The prince’s voice was firm and cold, his eyes staring at her with the same hue as her mother yet with the controlled anger that could only belong to no one other than his father. She was sure had it not been for the king’s loyal vassal next to him, the prince would have been less composed. The young prince was now king regent while his father was indisposed and his mother inconsolable, older than the king when he fell into the madness of knowing who his step sister had been but younger than the king when he took his homeland back. 

He shared his father’s blond locks and facial structure but still… she feels a certain familial affinity to this young prince. 

He was, in some way, her _ brothergreatgrandchild _. 

Yet, he was not. His family was his parents inside the room behind him, the quiet but steadfast loyal vassal of his father right next to him, his brothers and sisters being cared for by his father’s closest friends (and his mother’s beloved students) and the people who watched him grow up to be the prince he is right now. 

Not her… 

“I am not here to give the last rites.”

"Tell that to the people who saw you enter the castle.” The boy prince retorted in a cool calm tone belying the anger in his eyes, “He’s not dead and he’s not going to die. My father is a strong man.”

“Yes, he is.” She agreed. The king was strong. He had been broken repeatedly, played by fates’ hand like their own personal chew toy yet he continued to stand. He lost his way and found his way back. He ran away and came back, spending the rest of his life atoning for his sins, both the ones he truly committed and those he believes he committed. 

The king is a strong man. 

That was the reason why Byleth fell in love with him in the first place. 

The boy prince didn’t stop her from entering the royal couple’s room yet she can feel him staring at her, distrusting and wary. 

As he should be. 

His parents would have told him about her. What she had done, what they think she had done, what she could have done if circumstances were different. She wondered if the boy prince thought of her as a monster like his late step aunt had. She wondered if the boy prince even thought of her as kin. 

For a fleeting moment, she mourned at the lost of a familial connection to a boy she doesn’t even know. 

But it was only for a moment. For as she laid her eyes on the queen, every other thought disappeared. 

Byleth was beautiful. Even in mourning, she was still as beautiful as she remembered. Her hair had grown, not as long as her mother but the similarity was still uncanny. She doesn’t look like she has aged at all. 

Or perhaps she is simply seeing things she wishes to see. 

Dressed in a simple white dress with blue accents of the same hue as the Blue Lion’s color and holding her husband’s hand with both of her hands, she looked like the goddess has come to take her beloved champion from the mortal realm for a life of eternity in the heavens above. 

“He’s not dead.” Byleth repeated her son’s words yet she does not look her way, her gaze solely at the love of her life. While her son had the controlled fury masking the pain and fear he desperately tried to hide, hers was soft and almost inaudible. The silent tears falling from her eyes and the slight wobble of her lips as she parts them silently before biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood already says what they both knew… 

_ Not yet._

“I am not here to give the last rites.” She repeated, wondering if she also thought the same as her son. 

“Then why are you here?” 

Why did she come here? 

Because Flayn had begged her to come… 

Because she… 

She cared. 

Not for the dying king but for the woman_professorarchbishopqueengranddaughtermother_ sitting next to him, slowly dying herself. 

“I can save him.” 

Byleth finally turned to stare at her, her face an emotionless mask hiding the hope in her eyes and the wary tone of her question: “Like you saved my father?” 

She wondered if Jeralt told her about that or did she find out later? It doesn’t matter, she supposed. Not to either of them. Not now, anyway… 

“Yes.” 

“And what price do you seek?” Byleth asked, her grip on her husband’s hand tightening. 

What price does she seek? 

That was a question she didn’t even think about asking herself. 

“I’m not Sothis.” Byleth informed <strike> _ reminded _ </strike> her when she didn’t answer, “I will never be her.” 

Oh, and wasn’t that such a painful reminder? 

“I know.” She walked towards them and stopped on the king’s other side, right in front of Byleth. She kept her hands to herself even though she wanted to touch her, hold her, keep her safe… 

“You are not my mother nor are you the goddess. You are you.” 

She had spent years making peace of that truth but that doesn’t stop it from hurting so much. 

“And I am proud of you.” She wanted to give her a smile but she feared it may have looked too sad yet it was a genuine smile and she hoped it was enough… 

“I am here for you, my child.” She gripped her right wrist with her left hand as she whispered, “You deserve to be happy for the rest of your life.” 

Byleth stared at her for what felt like an eternity and she wondered what she was seeing. Did she see the woman her father told her to be wary to? Did she see her as the archbishop who showed blatant favoritism towards her? Did she see her as the monster she became to protect her and the people fleeing from the invading empire? 

There were too many secrets between them, too many lies and half-truths separating them from one another. 

And… she was alright with that. 

She knew the moment she saw her with her beloved king that she wasn’t her mother. She wasn’t the goddess. She wasn’t a replacement. 

“Please…” Byleth cracked as she begged, “Please save him.” 

She was her child and she wanted her child to be happy. 

She gave her a reassuring smile and sliced her wrist using the nail <strike> _ claw _ </strike> of her index finger from her left hand. It was a deep cut and blood flowed without restraint, as if demanding to be used _ now _. 

She lifted her wounded hand and pressed her wrist against the king’s <strike> _ coldicecold _ </strike> lips. He remained silent and frozen. Had it not been for the soft puffs of air she could feel coming from his nose, she would think she was already too late and Byleth was to mourn the death of a loved one once more. 

“Please, Dima. Please drink.” Byleth begged, kissing her husband’s hand as tears fall freely towards the back of his hand. 

She was not gentle when she pinched his nose close, forcing the weakened king to take a deep breath through his mouth. It did the trick and he began to swallow the blood. A quick look back at Byleth and she almost smiled when she saw the queen glaring at her the same way she used to glare at the problematic children of her class. Her glare only lasted a few moments before her entire attention turned towards the drinking man. 

There was no exact measurement of how much blood was needed to complete the transformation. 

With Jeralt, she had let him drink until colors have returned from his pale skin. 

Jeralt… 

Oh the irony was not lost to her. Here she was, saving another man from the Holy Kingdom who had fallen in love with her kin_ daughtergranddaughtermother _. 

Had she not thought it would be inconsiderate to chuckle in front of a grieving _ hopeful _ wife, she would have said it out loud. 

But she knew it was not the right time or place <strike> _ it will never be _ </strike> so she simply said, “I will stay here for the rest of the night. When I leave, he will have recovered. When they ask, we will say that we have spent the entire day praying to the goddess for a miracle and she has granted it. This is a miracle. The goddess has granted a miracle to her favored king.” 

Byleth looked like she wanted to object but she cut whatever she may say with her ultimatum, “This is my price, child. One final lie for a long life with the man you love.” 

Byleth bit her bottom lip before nodding. She turned her head towards her beloved and leaned forward until her head was resting on his chest, listening to a heartbeat she never possessed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, finally succumbing to the sleep she had refused since the start of her vigil. 

As the king and queen lie on their bed, hands intertwined and the color of life slowly returning on the king’s skin, she stayed like a silent guardian performing her final watch. 

As expected, the king’s sudden recovery was welcomed both with happiness and skepticism. Many were devout worshipers of the goddess and readily accepted the ex-archbishop and queen’s explanation. Many more were loyal to the royal couple and did not question her. Anyone who did question it did so in the dark, away from the populace. Too many people worship the ground the savior king and the holy queen walk on, it was better to whisper such things in private. 

She would have returned to the solitude of Zanado after but she stayed in the monastery instead. Not as the archbishop but as a guest. She made no public appearance and only few knew she stayed. 

The boy prince visited her once to thank her. She knew that his parents had told him the truth yet they didn’t acknowledge it and kept the conversation vague. When he left, she knew he would never returned and she was fine with that. Still, she stayed and listened to any news concerning the royal family.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd stepped down as king 5 years after his miraculous recovery. Lambert Jeralt Eisner-Blaiddyd, first born and bearer of the major crest of Blaiddyd, was crowned king that very same day. The savior king and his wife stayed on their son’s court for the first year of his reign before disappearing from public eye altogether. Everyone close to the royal couple would only say that they are alive and well, spending the rest of their retired life together in peace. The boy prince (now king) later married a non-crest bearing commoner, much to the joy of the people. His oldest, a queen with no crest of her own, reigned after him. 

2 years after the savior king stepped down, their oldest daughter, Sofithia Nastasia Eisner-Blaiddyd, married the first born son of King Claude of Almyra, solidifying the peace between Fodlan and Almyra. Peace between the two countries continued until a millennia later when Fodlan and Almyra finally merged into one country. 

Their other children also grew up to be famous in their own ways. Her favorite had been the young Rodrigue who became a professor in the officer’s academy instead of taking any titles for himself. Just like Byleth herself, he was charismatic and easy to love. Because almost all the students wanted to transfer to his class, he was given free reign to teach any house at any time provided he gives a head’s up to the professor in charge of that house. Because of this, he would be seen changing house every week. He didn’t have the same wariness as the rest of his siblings and saw her more as a distant relative than a sleeping dragon. They would have tea once a month and she would listen to him as he talked about his students, his life as a professor and any news his siblings would pen him. He took no lovers, male or female, or any children to call his own yet he passed surrounded by his family and his friends. She mourned his death just like she mourned all of their passing.

And so life moved on.

Kings and queens reign and fall. Fodlan prosper and reached greater heights. Government and social structure change slowly but inevitable. 

History becomes distorted, facts turns to myths and stories… 

Crests bearers slowly died out and magic soon followed. 

And she lived. 

She watched, she observed yet she never intervened. This was their world now, not hers. She still mourns for her lost kin, her lost family, yet the ache becomes dull with time, never gone but better all the same. 

She kept vigil over the descendant of the savior king and the holy queen until she could no longer keep track of who was who. Until each person she sees could be traced back to them… 

Sometimes she stays with Seteth and Flayn. Other times she lives alone for a while, just watching, just… observing.

Once, she saw them, walking with their hands intertwined as they pass her, a beautiful joyful smile on her face and his sole eye shining with all the love he has for the woman walking side-by-side with him. They looked the same as they always have even if their armor and royal clothes has been replaced by simple shirts and pants. 

She doesn’t call out. She doesn’t wave. They don’t notice her at all. 

She simply smile and thank the goddess that the child remains happy for the rest of her life.

**Author's Note:**

> So when I finished BL route, I replayed the ending until I got all epilogues (20 times to be exact). In Dedue’s, Felix’s and Marianne’s (and kinda Flayn’s) paired ending with Dimitri, Dimitri dies first because of illness yet his paired ending with Byleth said they remained as a happy adoring spouses for the rest of their life but Flayn’s paired ending to a male Byleth states they look like they haven’t aged (according to the wiki because I have no plan to play as a guy Byleth unless they patch Dimitri and Claude as bi option, okay?) soooo… here’s my take on how both endings could work XD
> 
> So long notes because that’s how I am:
> 
> \- I tried to keep Edelgard’s involvement to Dimitri’s ‘illness’ vague so feel free to think how involved she is or if the wound was just a bad accident no one really thought of or if those who slither had a hand on it  
\- There are at least 5 Dimileth children running around during this period because those two cannot keep their hands away from one another coughtouchstarvedDimitricough (I only named 3 because I’m lazy and it’s already 5 AM while I’m writing this, okay?). Byleth wanted to name her daughter Sothis but that was the name of the goddess so it may be thought as blasphemy. She’s named Sofithia instead because it was close enough  
\- A Dimileth kid marrying Claude’s kid is one of my greatest weakness, right next to Claude being the favorite cool uncle and Claudimileth threesome ending, okay? XD  
\- The whole Rhea plot is mainly from what I got from my childhood friends during their play of BE and GD route since it was just hinted at during the BL route  
\- I hope Byleth wasn’t too OOC… I’m kinda basing it on how she handled Jeralt’s death in the game and how many characters stated she needed time to grieve  
\- I kept the ending of the other characters vague (and Dedue was the only one who appeared… without any lines) but all the blue cubs are alive and well (if you take my playthrough as the setting of this oneshot, every recruitable character is alive and well)  
\- Catherine isn’t with Rhea because she’s paired with Shamir and being a badass somewhere else. Rhea doesn’t see the other cubs because they’re taking care of either the kingdom and/or the other Dimileth kids. Dedue is the one taking care of Lambie because Byleth asks him to


End file.
